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Fri, Oct 7, 9:30 - 9:55, Governors E     Paper (refereed)
Recommended Citation: Frydenberg, M.  Wearing Software Hats: Teaching Introductory Technology through Software Interactions.  In The Proceedings of ISECON 2005, v 22 (Columbus OH): §2134. ISSN: 1542-7382. (Revised in Information Systems Education Journal 4(27). ISSN: 1545-679X.)
 
Recipient of Meritorious Paper Award
 
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Wearing Software Hats: Teaching Introductory Technology through Software Interactions


Refereed9 pages
Mark Frydenberg    [a1] [a2]
Computer Information Systems Department
Bentley College    [u1] [u2]
Waltham, Massachusetts, USA    [c1] [c2]

Students use computer software to accomplish many tasks that are part of their daily routines. This paper describes an innovative approach to teaching an introductory technology course in which students who had some previous experience expanded their knowledge by interacting with different types of software applications, and by analyzing their roles in relationship to those applications. Students purchased Pocket PCs to use along with their laptops for this course; no printed text books were used. This active-learning approach enabled students to learn the traditional course topics in a way that made them relevant and engaging. Additional benefits included students creatively using their Pocket PCs for both personal and educational purposes, allowing them to apply the technologies they learned in the classroom to the contexts of their own lives.

Keywords: introductory technology course, Pocket PC, PDA, handheld computers, software roles, education

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